When durian meets hotpot: ‘Stinky’ dish that’s viral in Asia comes to Auckland and we tried it

A dish that brings a tropical fruit likened to rotting flesh and Chinese hot pot together has arrived in Auckland.

The jury is out on whether durian hot pot - something that has gone viral in China and wider Asia - is creative or crazy, but hundreds of people have rushed to an Auckland restaurant on the North Shore to try the dish added to the winter menu last month.

To step into Sum Made Restaurant in Albany on any weekday evening is to instantly get a whiff of the distinct durian aroma.

For the uninitiated, durian is a tropical fruit with a spiky exterior that’s well known for a pungent smell so strong that it is banned from planes, airports, and hotels around the world.

NZME deputy lifestyle editor Emma Gleason having durian for the very first time. Photo / Jason Oxenham

American chef, author and TV personality Julia Child once said durian smells like dead babies mixed with strawberries mixed with Camembert.

Food writer Richard Sterling described durian odour as “pig s***, turpentine and onions garnished with a dirty gym sock”.

Author Anthony Burgess described the fruit as “like eating raspberry blancmange in the lavatory”.

There is a saying that durian “tastes like heaven but smells like hell” and some believe it has erotic properties.

With durian hot pot, flesh from the tropical fruit is added into the boiling pot as part of the soup base.

Although durian fruit comes from Southeast Asia, this dish is believed to have been started by restaurants in Guangzhou.

Durian hot pot set at Sum Made Restaurant in Albany. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Since Sum Made put the dish on the menu, Cameron Zhong - whose family owns Sum Made and who hails from Guangzhou - said hundreds have been ordered.

Zhong said they decided to add it to the restaurant’s offerings after cooking it for a family dinner.

“We first saw it on social media and heard from many of our friends that it has become extremely popular back in Guangzhou,” Zhong said.

“We cooked it once for our family dinner, and we too were surprised at how good it tasted even though the fusion of durian and hot pot sounds so crazy.”

Besides durian, the hotpot set for four costing $98 also includes beef, chicken, lettuce, seasonal vegetables, tofu skin, fish balls and meat balls.

The soup base is chicken broth that’s been enriched with coconut water, which “balances the flavour” according to Zhong.

Durian flesh is very creamy, caramel-like, and Zhong said it tasted sweet, like butterscotch.

NZME deputy lifestyle editor Emma Gleason and senior reporter Lincoln Tan when durian was the star.. Photo / Jason Oxenham

“The coconut water in the soup helps to ensure that the durian does not overpower the original flavour of the chicken soup,” he said.

“Many of the customers come here for the novelty of the experience, but a lot have become fans and we get quite a few repeats.”

Durians are imported into New Zealand from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, and each of 300 varieties comes with distinctively different flavours.

Zhong said his preferred choice was to use Musang King durian from Malaysia because of its more intense and sweet flavours, as well as its creamier and more buttery texture.

The best way to have it in the hot pot is to add the fruit into the broth and let it boil until the meat disintegrates into the soup.

Durian is possibly the world's most divisive fruit. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Gloria Lee, a diner at Sum Made, professes to be a lover of both durian and hot pot, but she prefers having them as separate experiences.

“I can’t bring myself to try the combination or crazy fusion of these two things that I feel are best enjoyed separately,” Lee said.

“Putting the durian into the hot pot is really a waste of a good durian.”

Emma Gleason, the Herald’s lifestyle and entertainment deputy editor, tried durian and durian hot pot for the first time.

“I’ve smelled durian at the markets in Southeast Asia, so I recognised the scent, but never been brave enough to try it,” Gleason said.

“Given its reputation, I assumed the taste would either be the same as the smell, or equally strong but different.”

“It doesn’t taste like it smells. So mild, and quite sweet. Not at all what I expected.”

Jury is out whether the fusion of durian in a hot pot is creative or crazy. Photo / Jason Oxenham

But she was pleasantly surprised and found durian didn’t taste as bad as it smelled.

“No stinky, just yummy. Yeah, it’s good,” Gleason said.

“It doesn’t taste like it smells. So mild, and quite sweet.”

Gleason said the texture reminded her of breadfruit.

“It’s almost kind of custardy, and it’s absolutely not what I was expecting,” she said.

In fact, Gleason thought the durian hot pot was a great winter dish and that the durian goes well with the broth and meat, balancing the flavours.

The best way to eat durian hot pot is to leave the fruit pulp to boil until it disintegrates. Photo / Jason Oxenham

In recent years, durian fever in Auckland has spread to pizzas, snacks, cakes and even coffee.

One of the first to introduce durian to pizza in Auckland in 2016 was Smile Dessert, now closed.

Earlier this year, Le Musang opened on Dominion Rd selling durian desserts, cakes and durian milkshakes.

Not far from Le Musang is Folds Patisserie, where one of its signature offerings is the durian chiffon cake that is filled with durian whipped cream and durian chunks.

In Ponsonby, durian oatte is on the menu at Twentea, which is described as “king of fruit in liquid form”.

Durian is banned on planes and most hotels around the world. Photo / 123rf

Durian is one thing you can’t take on your flight, and Air New Zealand is just one of nearly every other carrier advising that “durian fruit cannot be carried, either in person, in carry-on or in checked in luggage”.

In 2018 an Indonesian flight was grounded because of smell from the durian.

Passengers on a Sriwijaya Air flight that was carrying about two tonnes of durian got so agitated by the potent aroma from the cargo hold that they demanded the fruits be removed.

The plane was only able to fly to its destination after the airline agreed to offload the fruit.